Vehicles such as hatchbacks, vans, sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and station wagons may include a rear door or liftgate. The liftgate, for example, provides access to the rear of the interior of the vehicle through a liftgate opening frame. These liftgates typically open upwards or sideways to expose a storage compartment or cargo area of the vehicle.
It is well known that vehicle cargo areas, especially those that are partially defined by a liftgate or deck lid of a vehicle, have a problem with retaining cargo (e.g., groceries, boxes, and/or packets/suitcases) inside the cargo area when the liftgate or deck lid is opened. Acceleration of the vehicle can overturn cargo and/or shift cargo to a rear extreme of the cargo area such that the cargo falls out of the cargo area as soon as the liftgate or deck lid is opened. This problem is exacerbated when the vehicle is parked on an inclined driveway or roadway. Fragile cargo, such as eggs or glass jars, can break upon falling and contacting the ground and cargo can be lost or damaged as a result. Vehicle owners are expectedly frustrated and upset when such events occur.
After-market cargo nets or grocery retaining meshes, and bins are available to combat these types of problems. The after-market cargo nets, however, have their own drawbacks. For instance, after-market cargo nets require a time consuming manual installation process to be performed by the vehicle owner. A typical installation requires positioning four loops extending from the corners of the cargo net over buttons or hooks positioned within the cargo area. Once installed, the cargo net remains a barrier to loading cargo into the cargo area until removed or partially removed. This barrier defeats one positive aspect of a flush cargo area, i.e., ease of placement of goods into the rear cargo area.
In order to retain this positive aspect, the after-market cargo net must be installed, removed after delivery of the cargo, stowed, and reinstalled after the placement of additional cargo in the rear cargo area. This installation, removal, stowing, and reinstallation process often becomes burdensome and/or an inconvenient for the vehicle owner rather than a useful tool. Even more, the after-market cargo nets are often misplaced or lost, stowed loose in the rear cargo area where they can be in the way of unfettered use of the rear cargo area, or damaged when stowed loose and other cargo is loaded into the rear cargo area.
While retractable fences, other than nets, positioned along a rear opening of vehicle cargo areas are also known, such fences are solid panels or foldable solid panels that are manually lifted into position and generally stowed on a floor of the cargo area or apart from the vehicle until needed. In addition, each of these fences includes components (e.g., a storage compartment for the fence itself or guides for the fence) that occupy space within the cargo area. Any such components limit the amount of usable storage area and can create an obstruction to the unfettered loading and/or unloading of cargo.
Accordingly, a need exists for a rear cargo area solution that is quickly and easily moved from an out of sight, stowed position to an installed position to prevent cargo from shifting within the cargo area during driving and/or falling out of the cargo area as soon as the liftgate or deck lid is opened. Such a solution would further be quickly and easily returned to the stowed position without the need for being uninstalled. Even more, the solution should not create an obstruction to loading cargo and/or simply be in the way or occupy space within the cargo area when not in use and should not detract from the aesthetic appearance of the cargo area. In addition, moving the fence may be motorized allowing the fence to be elevated to any height depending on the size or amount of cargo being stored.